Excavations in Jerusalem have finally revealed the route of an ancient fortress, according to a report released on Sunday.

For over 150 years, scholars have been asking, “Who divided Jerusalem?” Published The Sunday edition of the Jewish Press may finally have another piece of the puzzle, bringing researchers one step closer to answering this question.

Excavations at the Givati ​​parking lot in the City of David have uncovered a large fortress built into the rock between the national park and the upper area, including the Temple Mount and the Ophel. Researchers found vertical cliffs excavated on either side of a moat that apparently cut off the lower half of the town.

Newly discovered evidence of a huge 3,500-year-old trench separating Jerusalem's City of David from the Temple Mount and the upper part of the Ophel has answered a 150-year-old debate about the biblical city.

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“Although we do not know when the moat was first dug, it is clear that it was used during the centuries when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, around 3,000 years ago, starting with the time of King Josiah,” said Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr Yiftah Shall of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“At that time, Jerusalem was divided into an extension of the city to the south, which served as the residence of the Jerusalemites, and the Acropolis, or upper city, which contained palaces and temples on the Temple Mount to the north.”

I love it when secular sources find evidence that supports the Bible’s claims. https://t.co/72NJ0JDGgD via Daily Caller

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Gadot, Schall and their team's research relied on previous excavations by British archaeologists to pinpoint the exact route the northern fortifications took through the city. (Related: Small discovery has big impact on Holy Sites' history, study reveals)

“When the two outcrops are joined together, they reveal a deep, wide trench stretching at least 70 metres from west to east,” Gadot said, adding: “This is a dramatic discovery and opens up new discussion about biblical terms for Jerusalem's topography, such as Ophel and Millo.”

It is believed that Jerusalem was divided not only during the Iron Age, but also during the Persian and Hellenistic periods. Future research is focused on figuring out who built the 70-metre trench, which is so large that historians thought it was a natural valley.